Question for the guys who bought their cars new or can remember the 60s.

[Bones68charger]

I was talking to a family friend the other night and he was telling me that he ordered a 68 Roadrunner 383 4 speed with a Hurst shifter brand new and the bill was $2900 that sounds really cheep. Now I know with inflation and all that and we are talking about 1968 money. Can anyone tell me what that might be in today's money? Don't get me wrong I knew cars were in the $4-5 grand range. Is it comparable to what todays cars cost?


Thanks.

[Brock Samson]

i remember mavericks were advertised in 1970 at $ 1,999.
corvettes and hemi daytonas were about 5K and a ferrari Daytone was $ 25,000.

[69CoronetRT]

I was talking to a family friend the other night and he was telling me that he ordered a 68 Roadrunner 383 4 speed with a Hurst shifter brand new and the bill was $2900 that sounds really cheep. Now I know with inflation and all that and we are talking about 1968 money. Can anyone tell me what that might be in today's money? Don't get me wrong I knew cars were in the $4-5 grand range. Is it comparable to what todays cars cost?


Thanks.

About $16-17,000 depending on how you calculate the comparisons.
http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/compare/

Keep in mind the costs of improving the car too....

[skyhawk61]

   In July of 1968, my bride-to-be's father paid $3065 for a brand new black vinyl over red Road Runner hardtop ,383 with Torqueflite, AM radio, PS and PB, Magnum 500's, and deluxe interior and decor package.  When we married, we got the payment book along with the car...$78.00 a month on the remainder of a 3 year loan.  The price back then would be about $17,000 or so today.
   Several of my friends bought brand new minimally equipped GTO's in 64 and 65 for an out-the-door price of less than $2800 with about $500 down.  I miss those days sometimes.

[1958300]

I bought a 1963 Dodge Dart convertible, 225 6 cylinder stick, black with black top and red interior for $2,700 in Nashville, Tennessee in May of 1963. Great car, sorry I sold it.

[tecmopar]

I think it was late '69 while leaving the Army post after my physical for my draft card that I walked past a Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. I stopped to look and do some window shopping, next thing I know this salesman has me by the arm and is practically begging me to "take this damn Superbird off their lot, for COST", 3300 or somthing like that and payments of 89.00 for 3 years, boy, those were the days.

[Bandit72]

my dad and his best friend went to Fords showroom and picked up a brand new 69 mustang 429 cobra jet 4 speed for 3000

[TeeWJay426]

My Dad was working as a service manager for a small Dodge dealership in late 67, when he bought his brand new 68 Coronet 500- 383 magnum with automatic, for 2900 bucks- I think sticker on it was around 3300.00. The mechanic he had working for him bought a ragtop R/T at the same time, 440 automatic for 3300. They did get pretty good discounts as employees, but I think his annual income at the time was only around 8K as well......

[41husk]

I know my dad bought a 73 Charger late in 1972 and after I asked him to use the car, he told me." I diddn't shell out $4,000 for a new car for you to go out and wreck it" since this was in 1976 and the car was 4 years old, I felt he was being terribly unfair.  I guess he had a point though 2 years later I wrecked his Charger.

[triple_green]

The sticker on my 68 383 HP auto 3xgreen Charger was $4003.

[tttaziz]

If you're comparing car prices then and now, remember that in the late '60s you didn't get the standard equipment you do today.  This post got me thinking and I did some comparisons.  A '68 Charger R/T MSRP was around $3655 with 440 and Torqueflite standard.  But by the time you added air, power steering/brakes/windows, cruise, stereo, road wheels, land some other accessories, you were right at $5000.  A 2007 Charger R/T with Hemi and the same equipment (now standard) and some that wasn't available then (airbags, leather, tilt wheel) would MSRP around $31,000.  Run the CPI calculation (http://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/data/us/calc/) and you're talking the same money. 

But yeah, you could get a stripped '68 Road Runner with a 383 4-bbl. and 4-speed for around $3000 MSRP.  And Chrysler sold a lot of them.  Would a base car (no air/power/stereo/cruise) with big engine for around $17-18,000 sell today?

[6pkrunner]

There was a T shirt offered around 10 years ago that had a 1968 road runner on it and the text read

$2949 - more beep for the buck

[RECHRGD]

I bought my new '68 R/T for a little over $3,500.00.  If you figure the rule of thumb at 3% inflation per year, a new charger would cost you $11,084.00 in todays dollars.  I don't think you can find ANY new car for that kind of money today.  Is all the new technology really that expensive?
The house I grew up in is now worth one million plus and would have been worth around $50,000.00 in 1968.  Using the same 3% rate of inflation it should only be worth $158,351.00 today.
A $10,000.00 salary in 1968 was pretty good money back then.  If you got a cost of living raise of 3% per year, you would now be making $31,670.00 per year.  So the cost of a new Charger today would equate to about 100% of the adjusted yearly salary.  In 1968 a new Charger might run you 35% of your yearly income.
No wonder people are working two jobs and most wifes have to work just to keep the American Dream alive.  I'm glad I lived in the "good old days".    Bob

[MOPARHOUND!]

A guy about 2 miles from me bought a 68 Road Runner in 1968 for $3,400, IIRC.  Car was an auto, with P/S, P/B, and A/C (unusual for a 68 Runner), among other options.

He sold it in 2005 on Ebay for $10,400, as he had retired, and he and his wife were selling everything and moving to a lake home.  The car had 130,000 unmolested miles on it, showing some rust behind the rear tires .  He said he wouldn't have been afraid to make a cross country trip in it at the time he sold it.

Pretty good investment.

[ITSA426]

It's been said if you remember the '60s you weren't really there.

[MichaelRW]

Here's my window sticker. A lot of mulah back then.

[41husk]

a 71 R/T SE for under $6,000.  Oh makes me sad!

[MichaelRW]

a 71 R/T SE for under $6,000.  Oh makes me sad!

I see the 71  on the form but this is for a '70.

[jmanscharger]

My optioned 69 RR had a sticker price that started at 3083 before options.

[moparnutty]

Bought a 69 Charger in Sept. 68 for 3900.00. It was 318 auto no air.

[RDR-838]

I can remember the Ford Pinto being advertised as the last new American car ever priced for under $2000.

[charger490]

bought a 68 charger in may of 68 .cost was 3900.00 383 4sp 4bbl air cond vinyl roof power windows brakes steering. had the car 1 year and was hit head on. car totaled .

[last426]

Here's mine from another post.  To see the whole car check out www.marlia.com

[ChargerST]

nice, the leather seats (in the SE package) are cheaper than the radio..must have been a hell of a stereo   

[dkn1997]

you know the sad part?  the font on those window stickers is very close to what they use today, you would think that they would change printers in 40 years!!!